Academia of the Beast: A Dark Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (9 page)

Smug, Byron knew the gravity of his claim, and had gained what he wanted, just a few moments to speak to the prince—the hunter of the family.

It took only a few moments for Lennox to learn what kind of man Byron was—a disgraceful one that would rather gamble and drink his girlfriend’s savings away and then turn her in once the money was gone.

He lowered his eyes to the window sill where his hand rested. The red glow of his family ring confirmed that there was indeed a witch within the area.

Lennox rubbed his freshly shaven chin. There was one thing he wanted more than anything.

To be free from his prison.

Maybe that’s why he didn’t let her perish in the storm. A tiny sliver of him hoped that she could end the curse.

He turned away from the window, walking across his wooden floor to the door. Such wishful thinking could be toxic. The odds of this girl being the one his clan had been waiting for were slim.

He put on his shirt, covering the tattoos that covered his entire back and arms—the ink that hid his scars—and looked at himself in the full-length mirror.

Glancing down at the handwritten note Conall had left him about taking care of the castle, Lennox grinned, picked it up and tore it in half. If Conall thought that he could control him, he was sadly mistaken. People seemed to think Lennox was worth saving, despite his evil deeds.

He almost felt sorry for the girl he’d saved. A look in the broken mirror showed otherwise, his wicked grin reflected back.

Who was he kidding?

Prince Lennox knew why he kept her alive—he just wanted to see the little witch suffer.

***

A
LLYN FOLDED HER
hands in prayer. It was a habit, though she’d never gotten anything out of it.

She pursed her lips, the rage she’d been keeping at bay on the brink of escaping. She sat in the bathroom with the door locked. Not for her safety. But, for theirs.

Ghosts or not. She’d seen real evil. She knew that whatever had cursed them was nothing compared to what festered within her soul.

Did Prince Lennox know who she was? Was this all a sick game? And then she thought of Conall. Where was he in all of this? Could he speak up for her and save her from whatever Lennox had in mind?

The entire kingdom knew Lennox to be cruel, a womanizing, rich boy that did whatever he wanted without consequence. Always looking for a fight, his face was splattered on the papers every winter, breaking rules, throwing lavish parties, and defying the king in every way. No one could tame Lennox.

What chance did Allyn have?

“Allyn. Please open the door,” Calinda said from the other side.

“No.” Allyn sat between the porcelain toilet and the claw foot tub, her face buried in her hands.

Calinda showed that waiting behind closed doors was nearly a courtesy and that she could easily glide through them.

Allyn jumped, startled by Calinda’s sudden presence. She rubbed her eyes with her hands and came to her feet.

“You cannot hide in here forever.”

“What is it?” Allyn asked, bitterly. “Is it time for my execution?”

Calinda opened the door and held an arm out toward the bedroom.

“No one has told me about any executions,” Calinda said.

Allyn held out her arms. “So, why am I here?”

Calinda tilted her head. “I can’t say that I am certain, but I have my suspicions.”

“And, those are?”

“I think I’ll keep them to myself until I am certain,” Calinda said. “Now, let’s get you cleaned up and dressed. Prince Lennox wants to properly meet you.”

Allyn stepped aside as a younger female ghost came inside and started running her a bath. She didn’t look at her, going about her business of pouring oils and perfumes into the tub.

“Not too much, Maisie,” Calinda said. “Prince Lennox is sensitive to perfumes.”

Maisie nodded and turned off the water to let it out. “Sorry, mom. We don’t get many girls around here,” she said, finally sneaking a glance at Allyn.

Despite her sadness, Allyn couldn’t help giving the girl a small smile. She realized that though she was a ghost, she looked to be a child of ten at the most, with chin-length brown hair and brown eyes.

Maisie looked confused to see Allyn smiling at her, and her brows furrowed as she looked away and restarted the bath water. Steam started to fill the bathroom.

“Lin dropped off some clothes that are her size,” Maisie said. “I picked out the pretty blue dress since they’ll be dining in the sunroom.”

“Good girl,” Calinda said. She looked to Allyn. “Go on and bathe and put on the dress Maisie picked out for you. I will be waiting outside.”

“Sure. Whatever,” Allyn said, rubbing her eyes.

Calinda began to close the door behind her. “And try not to take too long. Prince Lennox doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“Of course he doesn’t,” Allyn said under her breath.

With that, Calinda closed the door and Allyn was left alone again.

She looked to her right at her reflection. For a second she thought she saw her image flicker in the glass, and stepped away from its view.

Eyes wide, Allyn held her breath.

What was that?

––––––––

W
HENEVER ALLYN WAS
quiet, the castle seemed to speak to her in hushed tones that vibrated along her bones. Her heart thumped in her chest as she left her bedroom and walked down the long dark hallway to a double winding staircase that led to the main floor of the castle. The very air of the palace was thick with an eerie cloak of dread and suffering.

Sensitive to such things, Allyn could feel the strife of all who were cursed to be there.

The dark energy was overwhelming, making her sick to feel all of the pain and sadness that had occurred within those walls. There were so many stories that begged to be told, but she shut them out of her mind.

“This is the main floor of Baran Castle,” Calinda said, as she led Allyn to the staircase. She paused at the top and pointed to the level above. “Upstairs is where the princes live. Prince Conall lives on in the east wing, and Prince Lennox lives in the west wing. I’d stay away from both wings and keep to your room and the common areas.”

Allyn shook her head. She didn’t care to venture up there or anywhere else in that castle. If Conall wasn’t there, she had no care as to anything within those walls.

Dressed in a blue dress with long sleeves and flat black shoes, Allyn secretly plotted her escape. If Prince Lennox wouldn’t see reason and listen to how she knew his brother, she needed a backup plan. She counted the doors of the hallway, glanced at the main door, and noted how many guards were around.

What she couldn’t figure out was how she would get past the ghosts that roamed the halls, completing tasks they’d been doing for centuries as if they still lived. Why did they do it? Why were they working even in death?

At the bottom of the stairs, Calinda stopped her, stepping aside. “We will wait for the prince. He will join us.”

Allyn crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the master walk down the stairs.

Her face was flushed once he emerged from the shadows of the opposite end of the castle from where her room was located.

Captivated, their eyes met, but still cloaked in darkness, she couldn’t see the color until he stepped down and into the light of a grand chandelier that hung above the double staircase. Allyn tensed and she found herself holding her breath as he held her gaze, his blue eyes bright as the purest summer morning.

With white hair that was almost silver and styled much differently from the longer style the men of the kingdom wore, his hair was long on the top, cut short on the sides.

Those eyes.

Dear God, if he doesn’t look just like Conall.

Twins or not, they could have been the same person despite the difference in hair color.

The scowl on her face softened as she looked at him, a glimmer of hope that he would be even a tiny bit like his brother.

She still had yet to draw a breath. Something about him was unsettling, and just as he held her gaze, he broke it once he made it to the bottom of the staircase and turned the corner.

“Come,” he said to Allyn. “We no longer need you, Calinda. I’ll summon you after our meal.”

Calinda bowed and vanished, leaving Allyn feeling cold as she was left alone with the king.

Without another word, he led the rest of the way through the massive castle and its many halls. All of the other servants bowed as he passed them by, and returned to their duties, their expressions solemn and resolute.

Allyn had to quicken her pace as she followed him. She also found herself easily distracted by all that she saw. The paintings of his ancestors were intriguing. To actually see the original artwork of the Baran clan was remarkable.

All of her life she’d been on a quest for knowledge of history and legends. She lived for a good story, and history had some of the best. She paused at the end when she saw the remaining picture on the wall.

Prince Conall looked down at her, those kind eyes hiding a smile as if the artist that painted him had told a joke.

Where was Prince Lennox’s painting?

I guess the black sheep of the family doesn’t deserve one.

“Miss Carmody,” Prince Lennox called from far down the hallway. Sunlight shone from behind him, breaking up the dim lighting of the otherwise darkened castle, and highlighting the silver of his hair. “Move your ass.”

Allyn was surprised that he knew her last name, and taken aback by the harsh tone of his voice.

She lifted her dress’ hem to keep from having it drag at her feet and abandoned her spot before the wall that stretched up to the ceiling and the row of portraits that lined it.

Once they made it to the sunroom, Allyn looked to the glass ceiling and all around at the different flowers that lined the wall of windows. The wintry scene was much more beautiful from inside where it was warm. It was almost magical, especially with the vines of roses climbing the window and ceiling.

Two men stood there, waiting in their white uniforms, their ghostly figures translucent just like Calinda’s.

Prince Lennox stood at the head of a table set for two and motioned for her to take the seat across from him.

She did so and watched him sit. One of the men put a black cloth across her lap and poured her water. She couldn’t help herself, and stared at the prince while he checked his shiny, gold watch.

He sighed as if annoyed and finally looked at her again. When he did so, she quickly looked away. Something about his gaze was too unnerving and stirred something in her that she wasn’t used to. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Conall looked at her instead of Lennox. It was just her heart wishing it were true.

“You look tense,” he said, his voice smooth like velvet. “No one is going to hurt you. Not right now at least.”

“Why is that? I thought the point of the witch hunt was to catch us and kill us.”

He sat back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. “I’m going to make something clear to you. When you got away from me a year ago, I’ve wanted nothing but to watch you burn.”

Allyn sat up. Prince Lennox was the Wolf she escaped in the woods outside of her village. The revelation frightened her. Memories of how big he was in his Wolf form was unsettling. She recalled the fear that filled her as he chased her that night.

“My assistant tells me you and my brother met, and that he wants to let you live.”

“Yes. Conall and I know each other. He is supposed to come for me once winter ends. We are kind of...together.”

Lennox nodded, mocking interest in her story. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding eagerly.

“Oh,” he said. “That’s interesting because I couldn’t care less what Conall wants.”

Allyn leaned forward. “What
do
you want?”

As if her question caught him off guard, his eyes widened for a split second. Then, he cleared his throat and leaned in toward her, so that their faces were almost close enough to touch.

She looked at him, not backing down.

“I’d be happy to glide my tongue along your entire body. You know, while my fingers stroke your sweet spot.”

Lennox licked his full lips and Allyn coiled back her face flushing.

He chuckled and sat back in his chair. He rubbed his chin. “Not what you were expecting?”

Allyn picked up her glass of water and drank it down, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes again or reply to his question.

Once brunch was served, Allyn had no appetite. She picked over her steak and eggs while Lennox demolished his. You’d have thought he didn’t have access to the best food in the kingdom by the way he ate.

“Eat up,” he said.

“I’m not hungry.”

He paused and put his fork and knife down. “Eat.”

Allyn’s brows furrowed.

He ate a piece of rare steak. “Suit yourself. I’m taking you to Faustinia and you’ll want to eat before we go. It’s a long flight on a small jet. What size are you, anyway? Can you dance?”

A gasp escaped her lips. “What? We can’t go there. That’s the War Zone.”

“You say this like its news to me.”

Allyn pushed her plate away. “I’m not eating or doing anything until you tell me what is going on. Why am I here?”

“You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?”

“Well, if my life is in danger, I feel like I have a right to know.” Her cheeks were red. Lennox’s conceit was irritating, to say the least.

He failed to realize who he had sitting before him. The secret was already out. What was to stop her from using her power?

Keep cool, she reminded herself.

“Fair enough,” he said and pushed her plate back to her. “I have some friends I’d like you to meet.”

“Why would I do anything that you want?” She’d reached the end of her patience.

His voice lowered. “I don’t know,
witch
. But, I think your father would want you to do whatever I say.”

Allyn shot to her feet. Her heart sped as she looked down at him, that smug look on his face only angering her more. When he stood, he was a full foot taller than her. He pushed the table away and crossed the space between them.